Warhol 3-D Painting to Auction at Christie's

An Andy Warhol Statue of Liberty (1962) will be part of Christie's New York's offerings at its contemporary art evening sale Nov. 14. The painting, which is estimated to bring in excess of $35 million, shows a grid of 24 images of Lady Liberty in red and a green hue that echoes that of the statue.

The image pops into three dimensions when viewed with 3-D glasses. According to the auction house, it is the first example of painting in 3-D and the only one still in private hands. The others are in museums: Optical Car Crash at the Kunstmuseum Basel and a smaller version of Statue of Liberty at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The press release claims that "the effect through 3-D glasses literally brings a new and magical dimension to Warhol's art."

The painting is executed in silkscreen inks, spray enamel and graphite, and is about 6½ by 7 feet.

It's a big season for Lady Liberty, especially in Chicago. Danh Vo's We the People sculptures, which replicate fragments of the sculpture at full size, are on view there as part of his two-venue show at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago (through Dec. 16) and the Art Institute of Chicago (through May 2013).

Also, Steve McQueen's 35mm film Static (2010) goes on view later this month at the Art Institute of Chicago. It shows the statue, shot from a helicopter circling around and above it.

While the $35 million estimate makes this one of the pricier offerings at the November sale, it doesn't approach the current auction record for Warhol, which is $71.7 million brought by Green car crash - Green burning car I (1963) at Christie's New York in 2007.